The New Wings
by Devil's Sunrise
Summary: A new hybrid escapes from a lab, and meets up with Max and the flock. Not a fairly original MR fanfic, but just see if you like it, and review... Rated T to be safe.
1. Prologue: The Escape

**Hi, I guess this is my first MR Fanfic, so R&R please. If FicSquad wants to review, could I have the person who reviewed me last time? He/She was very helpful. Also, I didn't want to replace the whole smoke thing because I couldn't find anything to replace it. Yeah, I know, the ability doesn't scientifically work… but too bad.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride stuff. James Patterson does. So there.**

**Claimer: I declare ownership of all the stuff that's not in the books.**

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I stared though the bars of my uncomfortable dog cage where the "scientists" were keeping me. _"Well then, let's try this again, shall we?" _I thought to myself, concentrating on my hand. As I watched, the edges of my hand seemed to grow fuzzy, then the dribbled away into a thick gray smoke. _"Holy- let's see what I can do."_ I closed my eyes, concentrated, and soon all that was left in my small cage was a ball of smoke, no more, no less.

I didn't have much of a name, just a jumble of letters, P130660trc. I had lived in a dog cage for most of my life in a lab, and when I wasn't trapped there, I was being tested and experimented on by lunatic scientists. I was now nearly 14, I only knew this because I could occasionally hear scientists doing reports and such of me. As a baby, scientists, or "whitecoats" as I liked to call them, had combined my DNA with other animals, that of a hawk and something else I didn't really know of. This resulted in me having big, brownish-black wings, and a new ability I was discovering at the moment. Also, the scientists trained me to fight things, like other mutants, to test me. In addition, they even provided me with some education to see if I could become some mutant freak genius, but soon gave up.

The ball of smoke traveled straight through the metal bars of the cage. "_With luck, I won't be in here for yet another year gone by."_ Outside of my cage, I quickly turned back into the "normal" me, because keeping smoke form quite wore me out. _"To see the looks on the whitecoats' faces"_ I mused, creeping down a hallway. I heard footsteps, and ducked into an empty room. A male whitecoat walked past, not bothering to take a look inside the empty room. I knew if he continued down the hallway he would find my empty cage. I stepped out behind him, and he turned, gasped, and was kneed in a sensitive spot by yours truly. I smirked at him as he went down without a sound, and I caught him, laying him down and dragging him away as to not arouse suspicion. After hiding and locking the unconscious scientist in a closest, I proceeded. _"Yes!"_ I thought gleefully, noticing a door that led outside. I opened it, and was instantly deafened by an alarm. _"Crap. Too late now though."_ I ran outside, raised my wings, and shakily leapt into the night sky.

I slowly soared for a while, marveling at the stars, and all the unfamiliar sights and sounds, before seeing a multitude of dark shapes behind me. _"What could that be?"_ I squinted into the darkness, making out huge, bulky forms with gargantuan wings. _"Uh-oh, it looks like they equipped the erasers with wings."_ Erasers were something I had to fight in the lab. They were big, hairy werewolves that could also turn back into humans, and were, strong and cruel. I turned, and flew as fast as I could forward, putting as much distance as I could between me and the monsters behind me. I had no doubt they were from the lab, sent to capture me. They caught up to me, and I realized I would have to turn and fight. As they neared, I made out hairy, muscled forms. _"Oh, no" _I stared at the big, wolfish forms, contemplating if there may be a weak spot, or a chink in the monsters' armor. Things weren't looking too hopeful. _"Oh well,"_ I thought grimly, then sped towards one, and lashed out with my foot. Kicking the werewolf monster was like kicking a brick wall, and I felt a hollow thud when I hit it. _"What the…"_

It looked at my leg, then at me, and said in a voice that sounded pre-recorded, "Resistance is futile."

I was still staring at it in shock when it cackled, grabbed my leg, and threw me up into the air. I regained control, and flew back a few feet. Realizing they must be some kind of robot-eraser type thing, I came up with a quick plan. I flew at the wolf thing, focusing on my talent. Right as I hit it, I turned into a ball of smoke, went around it, and reformed. I lashed out with another kick to its lower backbone, and it crumpled, and started falling to the ground. I chuckled, watching it, and then remembered the other ones. I turned, quickly, just in time to narrowly dodge another blow from a monster. I flipped around over it, and disabled this one too, using the same weak spot I used earlier. Soon, all the forms of the wolves were crumpled on the ground below. I flew on, deciding to look for a place to finally sleep for the night.

I soon found a farm, with an empty and peaceful looking barn. I swooped down to scope it out, and it seemed harmless enough to be a place to sleep. I made a bed of hay on the floor, and lay down in it. I was too tired to really think, and I was asleep before I knew it.

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**Like I said, R&R!!**


	2. Chase

**Woot! Second chapter! The flock comes into the story now! Again, woot!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the stuff from the books.**

**Claimer: already declared it.**

**I'm excited to write this chapter!**

**I just realized… It's so hard to get reviews cause there's so many MR fanfictions. Thanks for the review, xxtawnyflyxx, and I had better get some more soon!**

**(A/N: this is right after MR2. Yeah, I've read MR3, but this fit best into the timeline here.)**

I crept into the cave silently, looking around for any activity. I smiled, and walked carefully over to the packs of food on the floor. _"Great,"_ I looted the contents, food mostly, and stepped out of the cave, spreading my wings and soaring away with the contents of the packs. When I had woken up in the barn, I soared on in free happiness in the general direction of 'as far from the lab as possible'. After a day of flying I found a cliff with caves in it near a city, and had found one with food and supplies in it. I felt bad about stealing, but if the inhabitants of the cave knew what situation I was in, they would probably understand. Not that I was going to _tell_ them I was stealing their stuff, but still. It seemed like the people that I was stealing from were never there, much to my relief. I hoped it wasn't some trap of the whitecoats, but the items were well worth the risk. Also, as for my refuge, I had been sleeping in the construction site of some building in the city, and I would walk around the town in the daytime.

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The flock had taken refuge in a cave near some city, after leaving Anne's house, and the public School, and the Itex building. Well, more escaping than leaving, but you get the point. Now we seemed to be on the run, but had not seen a single Eraser for days. We roamed the town in the daytime, getting food with Max's credit card, or just relaxing. Obviously, Max still wanted to do our mission about 'saving the world,' but I had a feeling all the rest of us, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, Angel, and I wanted to settle down somewhere. Noting how stubborn Max was, getting her to give up something like this was like getting Angel to give up Celeste. During one trip to town, we all left the cave, and upon returning, all of our supplies, except the carefully hidden ones and those not of usable value, were stolen. The Flock decided to always split up on trips to town, which seemed to be working…

"Ooh, can we get that one! It looks so beautiful, and I need a new shirt after that whole lab incident! Actually we all need new clothes after that; I mean we could use some-"

"Good God, Nudge! My ears are bleeding!" Gasman exclaimed.

"Yeah, and we're only here to get provisions, because all of ours got stolen." I scolded, though amused. Part of the flock was in town, while leaving Max and Iggy to watch the cave. Like I had said, we were restoring our storage of food and supplies, after they got stolen, at a street market. We had all been angered and confused at why someone would steal from us, and by keeping people at the cave, we were hoping to catch whomever in the act, red-handed.

"Fang," Angel whispered to me, "I know who stole our stuff."

"What? Who?" I said back, frantically looking around trying to spot a suspicious character.

"Be quiet," she said, "I was randomly reading people's minds, and that guy over there thought about our cave," She whispered, pointing with one finger.

I looked up, and stared at a boy across the street, which looked a bit younger than me. "Guys, stay calm, but that kid's the person who's been stealing from us" Everyone stopped browsing through the vendors and stared at me with alarm. I pointed, and they stared with hostility.

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I was exploring the town some more today, and besides an incident where some clothes randomly vanished, and smoke being sighted in the area, nothing bad happened. I walked casually through the market in my new gray hooded sweatshirt, combat boots, t-shirt, shoes, and pants. Much better than the crappy gray clothes I had from the lab. I calmly browsed the stalls, until the hairs on the back of my neck prickled ominously. I looked up, and noticed a group of kids staring at me from across the street. A older boy, around 14, a little girl, about 6 or 7, an older girl, about 11 or 12, and a younger boy, around 8. Something about all of them focusing on me with that intensity unnerved me, and I quickly strode down the street away from them, feeling ashamed at my paranoia.

I glanced back, and cursed, seeing the group from the market was following me. I put on speed, running trough crowds, ducking and dodging as I tried to get away. Crouched in a dark alley, several blocks away, I caught my breath, hoping the group had not been able to follow. I had no idea what there motive was, the only thing I could think of was that they were the people I had been robbing, but these people would have to be professional climbers to reach that cave. I cursed, spotting some shadowy forms approaching in the darkness. I steeped out of the shadows, tensing for a fight.

I stared hostilely at the group of children, not saying a word. "Who are you?" The older boy asked, in a voice that made my blood turn to ice. I remained silent, as if testing him. "We know you're the one who's been stealing from our cave." My eyes widened. How would they know? Besides, they were just kids, or so it seemed. I remained silent, and then ran straight at them. They were not expecting this, and with one gigantic jump, with the help of my mutant capabilities, I leapt straight over their heads. I turned back, from the mouth of the alley, and smiled at their gaping faces.

I ran out of the alley, nearly barreling people over in my rush to escape. _"God these guys are persistent," _I thought, after turning and seeing them hot on my heels. I rushed for a tall building, still dodging around people, and being yelled at by pedestrians. I entered what seemed like a mall, and found the stairs. No way am I getting on one of those elevator things. Still running in huge bounds, I was completely blown away that the children from the market were _still _following me. Eventually reaching the top level, I ran through a door marked: ROOF ACCESS: EMPLOYEES ONLY. I reached the very top of the building after a short stairwell, and backed to the edge, knowing I would have to do the inevitable.

The older boy reached the roof first, closely followed by the older girl and the two younger children last. "Okay," the boy said with a sneer, "we have you cornered. Are you going to give up now?"

I cocked my head, and smiled, without a word. Then I jumped off the roof. My only regret is I didn't get to see the looks on their faces.

I landed in a small neighborhood, after stripping of my shirt and sweatshirt in midair, than extending my wings, with a good ten feet to spare. I sat in a bench near a park, and rested, with my eyes shut. After a few minutes, I froze, hearing a small thud behind me. I almost turned, but was knocked out with another thud, although this one was an impact to my head.


	3. Almost Escaped

**Geez! I finally get reviews! Thanks to xxtawnyflyxx and Amaya24 for the reviews. I needed them. Anyway, on with the third chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it**

**Claimer: Own it**

**Tell me if there's any kinks in the storyline you want worked out.**

**Yeah, I know it's the shortest chapter.**

**(A/N: I'm trying to edit the document, so it may change.)**

_The little boy lay back in his cage, his arm still bleeding from the newest experiment the scientists had done on him. Tears sprung to his eyes, not from the pain, but from the hopelessness of his life. He would have tried something more, but he had given up on rattling the bars years ago. Soon, though, he would make it out of his prison…_

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"I think he's having a dream about whatever lab he's from," Were the first words I heard when I woke. I came to my senses almost immediately, tied by my wrists and ankles, lying on my stomach on the floor. On closer inspection, I was lying on a cave floor. Crap, those kids… How did they catch me? I started trashing around on the stone floor, but a kick in my ribs stilled me.

"Fang!" a sharp, female voice said. Sounded like a young teenager, no more than one year older than me. "Geez, was that necessary?"

"Sorry, I'm still mad from that stupid chase," another voice said, and I realized it was the boy from the alley.

A shoe prodded my side, and then turned me over on my back. I was staring at two faces, one from the alley, and another I had never seen. The new person, a girl, slightly older than me, said, "Who are you, and why were you stealing our provisions?" I stared up at her, then remembered something.

"How did you know what I was dreaming about?" I said hoarsely. I had barely spoken since escaping from the lab, and had barely spoken _in _the lab.

"You're not in the position to ask questions." She said sternly, but I cut her off.

"In what way am I not in the position to ask?" I asked, and then smiled, closing my eyes. Another kick nearly connected with my ribs, but traveled through a mass of smoke. A collective gasp from the two, and I drifted between their legs, and I reformed standing directly behind her. "In what way," I repeated cheerfully, and they both whirled around, mouths open. I turned, and saw the other children, mouth agape.

"How did you…" a little girl said, and I remembered her voice as the one who had known about my dreams. I was about to say a sarcastic comment, but the boy's fist connected to the side of my head. I toppled, seeing stars, and then got up from the ground.

"It's all punching with you people, isn't it?" I muttered, still gathering myself. He snarled, but I instinctively ducked from another punch, and slammed my fist into his stomach. He doubled over, and I turned and ran.

"Angel! Stop him!" The older girl ordered, and the youngest girl focused on me, concentrating. "_What could she possibly do?"_ I paused, and then shoved past two boys, who were still in shock.

_Stop_

My legs froze.

_Stay still_

I couldn't move. The older girl walked over to me, and stared into my face, with a little smirk._ "Who are you?! How are you doing this?!"_ I screamed inside my head, unable to move.

_Turn_

Slowly, my head swiveled, until I was staring at the little girl. She tapped her temple, and then, saying like it was a big secret, said, "Mind control," I stared in shock, then, focusing, tried to move my hand. A finger twitched, and I mentally screamed again. The little girl smiled, and everything went black.

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Crap. I awoke again, this time tightly tied to a tree. "Are you going to take us seriously now?" the girl asked, as if daring me to try something .I smiled wryly, surveying the surroundings. We seemed to be in the forest outside of the cave, and the children gathered around the tree I was tied to. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"I don't have a name." I muttered, noticing the older boy wasn't here, much to my relief.

"Well," she said, looking puzzled, "Why did you steal from us?"

"I don't have a home."

She now looked slightly umcomfortable. "Do you work for Itex?" she asked, nudging the littlest girl, who I presumed would be searching my mind. She smiled when I thought this, and nodded. Great.

"I don't know what 'Itex' is." I said matter-of-factly, and the older girl frowned. She looked at the littlest girl, who just shrugged.

"I can read his thoughts still, but he's telling the truth." She said.

"So, what was the deal about maybe untying me?" I asked, because with the little girl here I probably wouldn't be able to escape.

"Well," She started, but was cut off as the older boy raced into the clearing.

"Erasers!"


	4. Fight

**Well, the story resumes. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own it**

**Claimer: Own it**

**I used these parenthesis things for breaks. I hope it works.**

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"Erasers!" the boy yelled, and the entire group whipped around, looking for the foes. I sighed, still bound to the tree.

Suddenly, the older girl started issuing orders. "Gazzy, untie him, Iggy, up and away, twelve o'clock. Stay in the air," She said, and then added, "and now would probably be a good time to use those bombs you always seem to hide with you." After this was said, to my amazement, wings sprouted from the boys back, and he flew up into the air.

"You have _wings_?" I asked.

The oldest boy took a glance in my direction, and replied: "Of course, how do you think we caught you?" Huh. I hadn't thought of that.

A young boy moved behind my tree and started trying to untie the knots. "I can't untie these!" he exclaimed, and I sighed again.

"No need." I went into my smoke form, and went through the ropes that had previously bound me. I rolled my shoulders, stretching my wings, and tensed to take off, before the girl stepped in front of me.

"And where do you think you're going?" she said with a hint of steel in her voice. "We couldn't leave you helpless, but we still have more to discuss."

I sighed a third time. I really needed to stop doing that. "Hey guys? Can we get with the program?" a voice coming from above said.

"Right," The older girl said, "okay, Fang, Me and, um, him, fight physically. Angel, you know what to do. Iggy and Gasman, you get them with projectiles. Got it?" The entire group nodded, and I was a bit annoyed that I was only referred to as "him". Oh well. I needed a name.

We could finally see shapes coming through the night, and an odd buzzing sound. Aw, crap. I suddenly remembered. "Hey guys? These aren't normal Erasers." They stared at me. "Just aim for below the spine. It's worked before. Trust me."

An Eraser, or one of what replaced Erasers, swooped down into the clearing. The battle was on. I leapt, catching the thing in midair, and proceeded to flip around it, and prove I knew what I was talking about. It crumpled, and I mentally cheered, before dodging a blow from behind. The rest of the Monsters descended into the clearing, and my group rose up to meet them. Well, _kind of_ my group. I flitted around another, and another, their eyes fading when I disarmed them. I went for a forth, but was slammed down into the ground by one from behind. I got up, just in time to see one pull out a gun.

Crap.

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I stayed on the ground, twirling around the new Erasers, using that method the kid had taught us. I disarmed robots one by one, and then did a spot check on all the other flock members. Fang was doing all right, with one developing bruise on his chin, and Iggy was pelting enemies with his endless stash of bombs. For once, I was glad I didn't search him for bombs regularly. Angel and Gazzy were teaming up against a small group; apparently Angel's mind control was lost on them, for they seemed to be some sort of robots. Huh. I heard a weird voice from a ways behind me.

"_You are expendable."_

BLAM!

Everything froze. I expected at any moment to feel the agonizing pain of a bullet tearing through me. Nothing happened. I slowly turned, and saw the Monsters retreating into the sky. I looked down, and saw the boy lying on the ground, face up, with a little bit of smoke dribbling from his chest. He'd been shot.

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**Yeah, the shortest chapter, but I wanted to leave off with the cliffhanger. Don't kill me, I'll update ASAP. Now review!**


	5. Max's POV

**CHAPTER 5: Max's POV**

**On with The New Wings! Thanks for all the reviews, and let's hear it for xxtawnyflyxx! Anyway, I made this chap longer, and it seems my last chapter went unnoticed by people who actually REVIEW. So to anyone reading this, REVIEW. Okay, I'm done, you can R&R now.**

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Great, we find a new hybrid, and he gets shot. Does _anything_ ever go our way? Okay, on the better side, he's not _dead_. But we don't exactly know yet. It started with our food missing. And some supplies. Then, after Fang goes to town to restock, leaving me and Iggy, he brings back this guy.

"They're back," Iggy said, looking up. "But wait, something sounds different… I think they're carrying something."

"Like, besides our bags?" I asked, puzzled.

"Yeah," he said, screwing up his face to focus. "Like, carrying whatever it is between them."

"Huh." I muttered, seeing the dark shapes move closer to our cave. It was true; they were bunched together, as if holding something. I frowned, and was speechless as they landed, holding an unconscious boy with brown, longish, shaggy hair, and light skin.

"And this is…?" I asked crossly, but was confused.

"Some kid. He's been stealing our stuff, _and_ he's an avian hybrid too." Fang replied, and my eyes widened.

"How'd you know it was him?" I asked.

"Angel was scanning people's minds in the market." Huh. Not only this whole new hybrid, but Fang was talking in full sentences. This day was getting stranger and stranger. "What should we do with him?" Fang asked, interrupting my train of thought.

"Oh, um, we have rope, right? That way we can tie him up." I replied, looking around.

Fang rifled through his backpack, pulling out two thick pieces of rope, and crouching down to bind the boy's wrists and ankles. We dragged him to a corner in the back of the cave, and I asked, "So what did you say about him?"

Nudge spoke up, saying, "He jumped _over_ us in an alley, and has wings." I looked down at the boy, and felt his back. It was true, he had wings. Now I wondered if he worked for Itex, and the whitecoats.

"Wait," Angel said, concentrating, "I can tell what he's dreaming about. God, his mind is like an open book. Let's see, he's dreaming about something from when he was little, in a School. You know, in a dog crate." Fang and I exchanged glances. "Yeah, I think he's having a dream from whatever lab he's from."

Just then, he stirred. His eyes suddenly snapped open, and he began thrashing about on the floor. Unexpectedly, Fang shot out a foot and kicked him in the side. "Fang! Geez, was that necessary?" I stared at him.

"I'm just mad from the chase," he said warily. I knew the real reason though. None of us had gotten a decent night's sleep in days, and getting robbed was not helping. I looked down, and the boy was still lying on his stomach, looking annoyed. I could tell he was going to be a tough hostage just by looking at him. I prodded him with my foot, and then flipped him over on his back, so he would be able to look up at us. Again, he lay silently, probably seething.

"Who are you, and why were you stealing our provisions?" I asked, trying to sound intimidating. Again he simply stared up at us, and I almost doubted he was capable of speech.

Then, he asked in a voice like sandpaper, "How did you know what I was dreaming?"

I was taken aback, but responded, "You're not in the position to ask questions."

"In what way am I not in position to ask?" he shot back, leveling his voice. He smiled, closed his eyes, and before I could do anything, Fang's foot lashed out once again, and went _straight through_ the boy's side. The figure on the floor was replaced completely by a thick black body of smoke. We all gaped, unable to control our surprise. Even Fang gasped. The smoke slithered between our legs, and the boy reformed from it behind us. We whirled, just as he repeated, "in what way?" in an almost cheerful tone. We just gaped some more, and he turned away from us, to look at Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel, all of whom were also gaping, except Iggy, who didn't really know what exactly was going on, but was still frowning slightly, confused.

"How did you…" Angel started, but Fang cut her off. His fist smashed into the boy's head, above his ear. The boy instantly crumpled, and then got up slowly, muttering grimly. I saw fire in his eyes, and he slugged Fang in the gut, knocking the air out of him with a whoosh. He turned, shaking his hand, and pushed through Gasman and Iggy.

I found my voice at last, and shouted, "Angel, stop him!" At this, the boy paused, glancing at Angel suspiciously, and then continued, almost ready to launch himself out of the cave. Angel looked at him, in the scary way she does when she uses her power. His legs froze, and he looked around in panic. Then, strangely, his arms stiffened at his sides, his legs straightened; at he looked straight forward, and proceeded to not move an inch. I walked slowly over to the boy, and stared into his face with a smirk. His eyes were panicked, and he stared at me, terrified. Angel made a twirling motion with her finger, and his head slowly swiveled to look at her.

"Mind control," she said, in her little girl voice, and the boy nearly flinched, staring at her, now with panicked confusion. His finger twitched, and his eyes rolled up into his head. He fell to his knees, than flat on his stomach. Angel gave me thumbs up, and I smiled. She really creeps me out sometimes. "It helps that his mind is so open," she said knowingly.

Fang walked over, and knelt near the boy, and asked, "What do we do with him now?"

"I don't know, but with Angel here, he won't ever be able to escape."

"Why don't we time him to a tree?" Gasman suggested, "Then he wouldn't be able to escape that easily."

"Might as well," I replied, looking at Fang. "It's worth a shot."

In minutes, we had carried the boy down into the forest, and Fang tightly fastened him to the tree, using more of his rope. Fang then took watch in a tree a ways outside of the clearing we were in, and the rest of us waited for him to wake up, which Angel said would take about a half hour since he'd been knocked out. Sure enough, he awoke right on time, immobilized once again. "Are you going to take us seriously?" I asked, putting as much authority I could into my voice. He smiled sarcastically, and looked around. "Who are you?"

"I don't have a name," he said, staring straight into my eyes. Unexpectedly, I found myself pitying him already. But I pushed those thoughts away.

"Why did you steal from us?" I demanded with an edge of steel in my voice, but he looked straight back at me calmly, replying:

"I don't have a home."

Now I felt uncomfortable, but remembered something. Nudging Angel, I asked, "Do you work for Itex?"

He looked at Angel, then back at me, answering: "I don't know what Itex is."

I glanced down at Angel, who shrugged, and said, "I can read his thoughts still, but he's telling the truth."

"So, what was the deal about maybe untying me?"

I frowned, and started to say, "Well," but was cut off by Fang racing into the clearing.

"Erasers!"

So long fight ensues, with cataclysmic results. I won't give you the boring details. The boy had been shot, by the new Eraser replacements, or "Flyboys," as Iggy liked to call them.

"FANG!" I screamed, and he rushed over, and we both examined the boy. He lay on his back, his eyes closed. We nearly ripped off his shirt, and examined his chest. We gasped at what we saw. There was nothing; no bullet hole, no blood, nothing. I lifted his shirt, and saw a bullet hole in it. How could he not have been harmed? Obviously, we had no idea. We carried the unconscious boy up to our cave, laid him on a blanket, and now planned what we would do next. We debated ideas in our cave, but were interrupted by a small cough and a scuffling sound from the shadows.

**Bum Bum Bum! **

**R&R!**


	6. Meeting New People

**Thanks for all the reviews, here's the next chapter, woohoo! **

**Disclaimer: me no own.**

**Claimer:To be honest, I seriously doubt anyone would steal my stuff, but I'd be flattered. Tell me if you do though.**

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"Oh, my God," I groaned, waking up. I was exhausted, even though I had just slept. My head was pounding, and I had a weird feeling in my chest. Jeez, what _happened_? Then, I remembered. I was… shot. Crap! I ripped off my shirt, and fingered my chest. Nothing: No hole, no bandages, no blood, nothing. I ran my fingers down my chest again, listened to my heartbeat, and cautiously put my shirt back on. Wait. I looked closely at my shirt. There was a small hole in the front, close to my heart. This made no sense. I'd been shot, but I _hadn't_ been shot. I paused, and then looked around for the first time. I was in another small cavern, this one about the size of a walk-in closet, with a small doorway-like opening covered with a makeshift curtain.

I slowly shoved away part of the curtain, and peered through the small gap. I was in the same cave I had been in before, in a smaller cavern I hadn't noticed before. The children were gathered in a corner, talking and munching through some bags of potato chips. I slowly crept past the curtain, staying in the shadows, and skirted the perimeter of the cave. When I got close, I saw the little one, Angel stiffen, and lean over to whisper something in the older girl's ear. No use hiding now, I thought, and coughed slightly, to announce my presence. They all turned to stare at me, and I stepped out of the shadows. They gasped, and I smiled slightly.

"So you're…awake." The oldest girl said, putting the words together cautiously.

"It certainly seems that way."

"How did you survive that bullet?" she asked, looking me over.

"You sound so disappointed," I said, and she blushed.

"Well, I mean, you got shot, and…" She trailed off, staring at the hole in my shirt. "How _did_ you survive?"

"Beats me," I replied, "So what does it take to get some food in this joint?"

"Well, we restocked, after some of our supplies _disappeared._" She said, with a glare at me.

I shrugged, replying, "I can get it back if you want. I didn't use all of it."

"Well, here," She said tossing me a bag of BBQ chips.

"Save some for me!" a small voice piped up, and was followed by a small dog running out from behind her.

"No problem," I said, and took a handful, tossing the bag near the dog, which looked something like a Yorkshire terrier.

"Thanks," he mumbled, sticking his furry head into the bag.

I noticed everyone was staring at me. "What?"

"Dude, it's a talking dog, why aren't you the least bit surprised?"

"Uh, hello? I have _wings_. I just met six more people who also have wings. I just survived a point-blank shot to my chest without a scratch. I can turn into _smoke_, for Pete's sake! I don't think I'm going to freak out about a talking _dog._

They stared at me more, and the youngest boy was gaping slightly. "I think I'm gonna like this kid," said the dog, through a mouth full of potato chips.

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"Speaking of meeting new people, who _are _you?" The boy asked, after we had all finished staring at him.

"Oh, um, right. I'm Max, this is Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, don't ask about the name, and Angel. You've already met Total." I said, pointing to each person. "So you don't have a name?" I asked him.

"Nope, never have. My whitecoats didn't care about things like that," he replied.

"Well, you need something we can call you." I responded, thinking about what to call him.

Then, out of the blue, Angel said, "Rook."

"What?" I asked her, puzzled.

"I don't know, Rook. It was on my mind," she explained, "like that time in New York when I knew the password to the credit card." I raised my eyebrows at Fang.

"Isn't that a name? Nudge asked, and I nodded.

"Is that your name?" I asked the boy, who had been staring at us the entire time.

"I told you, I don't have a name. I don't even know what it is, if I ever even had one."

"Whatever," I said, "let's move on. We were discussing what to do now. We pretty much assume Itex is evil, from what we've seen on their computers."

"What _is _Itex, anyway?" he asked, "we still haven't cleared that up yet."

"Wait, I guess you _are_ our ally now, right?" He looked at me skeptically.

"To me, it's either I have to be your ally, or I get my brain fried by Ms. Mind Control," he retorted, pointing at Angel. She smiled sweetly.

"Well, so be it." I said, "Itex is an evil organization that runs the labs and Schools where you and I were made. They may or may not be trying to destroy the world."

"So you're trying to stop them?"

"No duh." I replied flatly.

"Do you know how to stop them?"

"Well, no."

"Ok then. Listen, I'm still really tired," he said, illustrating this with a yawn, "and I'm gonna hit the sack. I'll leave you to discuss."

And with this, he strode back through the cloth, and light, slow breathing could be heard in a matter of seconds.

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_I flew over the town, peering down at the deserted streets, illuminated by only the moon. I flew on, over tall buildings, short buildings, markets, and offices, until I came to a spot nearly outside of city limits. It was dark, but I could make out the words on the sign easily._

_ITEX_

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I awoke, jackknifing into a sitting position, drenched in sweat. What the heck was that, a dream? I hadn't had a dream in years. Something was wrong. I got up, and looked out from behind my curtain. Everyone looked asleep, with the Max sitting on the floor of the entrance of the cave, keeping watch. I mentally groaned. I was starving. No time for that now, I thought, grimly. I slid into smoke, and wound through the shadows in the main cavern. Slowly going past the prone forms of their group, I eventually made it to the mouth of the cave. I slithered past Max, without her noticing, and billowed down to the forest below. I reformed, and walked to the end of the forest. Once I was out of range, I spread my wings, and shot toward the town. To the town, and to Itex.


	7. Itexicon, and Capture

**Okay, I finally got the whole documents issue in order, so sorry to all the people who got repeated messages about chapter 5 and 6. Anyway, if you read this and do not review you will get leprosy. Thank you, and goodnight.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own, ok.**

**Claimer: Whatever.**

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"Morning,'" Fang said, and I jumped.

"Geez, Fang, you _need_ to stop doing that," I said, annoyed.

"You hungry?" he asked, ignoring me.

"I guess," I replied, "Should we wake the others?"

"Yeah, sure, but let's not wake the boy. He seemed tired."

I nodded. In minutes, everyone was up, rubbing their eyes and yawning. I passed out nutrition bars and pop-tarts, and we munched on them, still tired, with no conversation. Even Nudge was quiet, strangely enough.

"Shouldn't we at least bring that boy breakfast?" Angel asked.

"I guess so. Here, bring this to him, and wake him if he stirs." I said to her, handing her a pop-tart. She skipped into his little room, then came back out a few seconds later, eyes wide, still holding the pop-tart. "What is it sweetie?" I asked, standing up.

"Max?" she said, looking scared, "he's gone."

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"Oi, Itex!" I shouted, picking up a rock and smashing the one and only window on the Itexicon building. "Get out here!" An alarm went off, and robots poured out of the building. I raised my hands, surrounded. "I just want to talk," I said, eyeing the weapons they were carrying. A woman strode out of the building, and from the look of her I could tell she was probably the person in charge. "I want to join you."

She seemed taken aback from my statement, and frowned. "Join us? What would you have that make us want you?"

"Obviously, I'm a hybrid, and I have, oh, a couple traits…and this information on this so-called Max."

Her eyes widened. "You've met her?" She asked.

"Yes," I said, my gaze darting around the robots around me, "and I wasn't all that impressed. I know where they are, and I'd be happy to share their whereabouts, for a… fee."

"And what is your fee?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just joining you, while still being free, _outside of a cage_. I've seen their "flock" and I think I would rather be with you guys."

"Well then. I think that can be arranged. My name is Anne Walker," She said with a smile, "And you are…?"

"No idea," I said, returning her smile. A bit more of lying through my teeth, and I was in. Jeez, these guys were either extremely gullible, or extremely desperate. I was able to get one more thing from them though: my files.

"So who am I?" I asked, and Anne looked back at the screen.

"You are project V," she looked over at me, "for Vesuvius. Your parents died when you were not yet born, but you were saved. You were still young enough for us to graft animal DNA into you after we got our hands on you." I masked a pained look on my face, so that I appeared expressionless.

"Did they name me yet?" I asked, and she looked back at the screen and nodded.

"Your name is Rook. Rook Paladin." She said, and I nodded, swallowing a lump in my throat.

"I like Vesuvius. What does it mean?" She went online and looked it up.

"Vesuvius is an active volcano in Italy. The name comes from the Oscan word _festf_, which means "smoke". Seems like just a code name for you." She replied, and I smiled. I hadn't bothered to show Anne my "ability". What an appropriate name. "Wait, there's more. Vesuvius erupted several times, destroying two cities, Herculaneum and Pompeii, and killing thousands of people." On this, I frowned.

"Very well, you may call me Vesuvius. A much better name, and… description," I said and smiled evilly. Anne flinched. I was enjoying this. I hated the name Vesuvius, it sounded…evil. I am not a killer. What I wasn't showing was my surprise at my name. How the _heck_ had that little girl, Angel, known? I knew there was something past what I knew. Oh well, time to step up my act. "So, you wanted to know where the hybrids are," I stated, and smiled evilly yet again. "That can be arranged."

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So now the boy was missing, gone into the night. He must have slipped past me in that weird smoke form last night. We now were in the forest a ways away from our cave, in a tent bought courtesy of the Max card. Obviously, not much of a new hiding spot, but it was better than the exact same spot we'd been in before. It was now the night after the morning we had discovered that kid's disappearance, and we were gathered in our big tent, getting to sleep. Before we lay down, I heard a small sound from Iggy, who was on watch outside. I pushed back the flap back, and gasped seeing his unconscious sound lying on the ground.

"Guys!" I yelled, and ran over to where Iggy was sprawled out on the ground. I found out why he was down: a tranquilizer dart was poking out of his chest. The last thing I saw before slipping into unconsciousness was a dart landing in my shoulder.

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**On one hand, you could review… On the other, you will die. Think about it.**


	8. Inside Itex

Well

**Well. I'm on vacation right now, so I have tons of time on my hands to write, but really crappy internet. I'll try to update as fast as possible.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. That's why it's called **_**fan**_**fiction.**

**Claimer: If you're going to use my character(s) or plot (which I doubt), could you ask me first?**

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I woke up, my head pounding painfully. I nearly groaned, and looked around. I was strapped to a metal hospital bed, by thick Velcro straps. Next to me were five other hospital beds, each holding a member of my flock. Gasman seemed to just be waking up groggily, and Fang looked over at me with relief in his eyes when I looked around. Nudge was struggling silently against her restraints, and Iggy stared at the ceiling with sightless eyes. Angel was still asleep. There was even a tiny bed in the corner, where Total was completely trussed up. Suddenly, it hit me: the antiseptic chemical smell of my childhood. We were trapped in the School. I looked over at Fang, and his eyes flared with recognition as I mouthed: _School_.

"Max?" Gazzy said weakly, and I looked over at him. "What happened? We were in the tent, and you shouted, and then…" He broke off, and I didn't know what to say. Then, I could see the realization hit him too. He silently said, "School," and his head flopped back onto the pillow.

Soon, after my body had gone numb, the door opened. In walked Jeb, Anne, and -big surprise- the boy.

A couple things happened on my two days with Itex. After the Flock had been captured, I had been flown to Death Valley with Anne, and the Flock came via chopper.

"Vesuvius, I would presume," Was how I was greeted in the School, by a middle-aged man in a white coat. I regarded him silently. He seemed important. "My name is Jeb Batchelder," he said, shaking my hand with a smile, "glad you could join us."

"Indeed. I'm getting tired, could I be seen to my room now?" I asked, and his smile got bigger.

"Of course, of course, it is quite late."

A few minutes later, I was in my room, plotting. Obviously, I was not really an ally of Itex. I was here to… get information. I made a plan, and went to bed, eager for the next day to come.

I wandered the hallways, exploring. This place was a freak show. There were babies doing equations, lifting weights, brains in Plexiglas boxes, some strapped to machines, and one walking around on mechanical legs. Finally, I found one empty room, which had exactly what I was looking for: a map. Perfect. I found one brightly blinking yellow light, next to a label. This was just what I was looking for. I stealthily crept back out of the room, and continued down the hallway, almost bumping into Jeb around the corner.

"Ah, Vesuvius, there you are. The flock has just woken up."

"And you want me to see them?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, we thought you would want to!"

"Might as well," I replied, acting as if I couldn't care less. Five minutes later, I strode into their room with Anne and Jeb.

"You, you traitor!" Max spluttered, seeing me.

I ignored her, surveying the room. All of them were bound to hospital beds; even Total was tied up in a corner. I saw Angel unconscious, and remembered something. "Jeb, get Angel isolated. We don't want her pulling mind tricks on anyone."

Jeb nodded, and on a gesture from him, Angel's bed was wheeled out of the room. "No!" A voice cried, and I looked over to see Nudge pleading, her eyes wide. "Don't separate us!"

I smiled. "If you'll excuse me," I said, addressing Anne and Jeb, "I have better things to do."

They stared at me, confused. I simply spun on my heel, and strode back out of the room. "Stay and face me!" Max shouted after me, and the rest of their flock started yelling after me too.

I didn't stay to listen, because as I said, I had better things to do. I followed the whitecoats that had taken Angel, and waited for them to exit the room she was in. I crept into her room, and sat on a chair, watching her with arms folded, until she stirred. I soon felt a tingling in my head, and my body completely froze, immobile. _Angel, stop. I need your help, _I thought, and when I got no response except my arms tightening against my chest on their own accord, I continued. _I need to break you guys out of here. I've found all I need to know. Please, Angel, release me_. _I'll come later to free you._ No response again. I sat; sweat trickling down my neck, until finally, after what seemed like hours later, my hands dropped to my sides. I sighed, got up, and left. Hopefully, this was a sign she would be ready.

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**Done with chapter 8! Yay!**


	9. Escape from Itex

I'm still on vacation

**I'm still on vacation. By the time I finish writing this, I probably STILL won't have internet. Whoopee.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. If I did I sure as heck wouldn't be writing this. I'd be writing MR5.**

**Claimer: Would anyone even **_**want**_** to use my character(s) or plot?**

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That, that _boy_! He betrays us to Itex, and then he's too _busy _to torture us? That's just adding insult to injury! AND the flock, besides Angel, was expected to believe this nonsense about _dreaming _the last five months? Give me a break. At least we knew his name. Jeb had mentioned it: Vesuvius. It sounded strange, almost evil. Fitting, I now despised him. Oh well, I was still trying uselessly to rally my flock members.

"Okay guys, the instant they release our bonds, we break out," I said, looking around, but seeing no real reaction from my flock members. They just lay sadly, sometimes weakly struggling against their straps. "Come on; let's see some rage on those faces."

Fang looked over at me and smiled weakly. This was no use. We would just have to wait for whatever chance we got. Unexpectedly, our salvation came a few hours later. I felt a tugging on my arm, and looked down, wide-eyed. A hand was reaching up from underneath my bed, undoing the Velcro strap. I stared in wonderment as my hand was freed with a quiet ripping sound, and I instantly went to free my other hand, then my legs. The instant I was able to, I jumped off my bed, and pulled off the sheet blocking the bottom. Vesuvius smiled up at me. I grabbed his arm, and pulled him out and onto the floor. His head hit the surface with a thud, and I put my foot down on his chest, hard. He looked up at me, dazed.

"W_hat are you doing here?"_ I whispered, angrily, and he struggled.

"_Rescuing you," _he whispered back, and I pushed down harder with my foot.

"_If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess!"_

"_Max," _Fang whispered from behind me, "_We don't have time for this."_

I nodded, and hauled Vesuvius up by his collar, getting his face close to mine. "_Listen, this isn't over. Just get us out of here."_

He visibly gulped, and I released him and turned around to free Fang. I felt a tapping on my shoulder after Fang started undoing his own bonds and I turned to see Vesuvius staring at me. "_I have to get Angel, I'll be right back. Where's Total?"_

"_He exists?" _I whispered back, confused. Anne and Jeb said he never existed; that he was just part of the nightmare they put us in.

He looked back at me like I was crazy. "_He was just here earlier! What do you mean, "He exists?""_

"_Never mind, go, but if you try something, I will kill you."_

He nodded, and after he was gone I faced Fang and asked him, "_Do you trust him?"_

"_Kind of, but what choice do we have?"_ He whispered back,_ "Now let's free the others."_ He moved over to where Gazzy was, and I started undoing Nudge. A couple minutes later, after Iggy was unbound, Vesuvius returned with Angel, who had a quiet Total in her arms.

I wrapped Angel in a hug, so happy that she was safe. "Oi, you're squishing me!" Total said, and I pulled back.

"Come on, we need to go," Vesuvius said, and motioned out the doorway. We followed him out and through the gloomy hallways, cautiously looking around. We finally came to a door leading outside. "Okay, this has an alarm. When we get out, fly as fast as you can. They can't deploy the Flyboys that easily, because they're charging right now," he said, and noticed all our confused faces. "Those new Eraser robots are called Flyboys."

We all tensed, and I nodded. We were ready to go. Vesuvius threw open the door, we spread our wings, and were gone into the night sky.

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**Dang, I write fast on vacations. I'm still in the traveling part, so I can't check reviews at all (or submit chapters, because I have no internet. I'm on a laptop.). **

**I am the walrus (koo koo kachoo).**


	10. Explanation

**­­­­­­­­­Wow. Tenth chapter. Woo! **

**I WANT REVIEWS snarls!!**

**Disclaimer: Please view past chapters**

**Claimer: Please view disclaimer above.**

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The flock and I alighted in a smallish forest, on the edge of a small lake, after flying for two hours in silence. When we landed, I assume we would have rested, but Max had other plans. I felt her grab my arm, and I was swung into a tree, hard. She pinned me up against it, her arm against my neck, and shouted, "What were you thinking?!"

I clutched at her arm, gasping for air. "Max… can't… breathe…" I panted, trying unsuccessfully to budge her arm.

She finally released me, and I fell to the ground, winded. She stepped back and turned to everyone else. "Angel, freeze him."

I got up, still wheezing. "No, Angel, please don't," I said, but was cut off by my mouth closing, and my entire body straightening, my arms rigid at my sides.

Max poked me in the chest, and asked, "Why did you betray us to Itex?"

I finally regained the use of my mouth, and replied, "Needed to… find information… had dream… where to find Itex… had to… betray you… to join…" God, it's hard to talk while a 6 year old is controlling your body. Wow, could that have sounded any weirder?

"You had to get information?! What information would you get from them?" Max asked, and I tried to answer her again.

"How about… the location… of Itex… headquarters?" I struggled out, and was rewarded by shocked looks on their faces.

"You found the location of Itex headquarters?!" She asked, and I would have grinned, had I been able.

"Lendeheim… Germany."

She looked surprised, and then said, "Angel, you can release him. But," keeping her eyes on me, "if he tries anything, paralyze him."

"Great," I sighed, and leaned against the tree. "You," I said pointing at Angel, "are evil."

She grinned, and stuck her tongue out at me.

"So, Germany, you say," Max said to me thoughtfully. "How do you suppose we get there?"

"How would I know?" I asked, "And I've been starving for days. Could we, like, eat?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry too," Nudge said, and opened her mouth to say more, but was silenced by a look from Max.

"Fine, we'll eat."

A half hour later, we were in a restaurant. It was some fast food place; I didn't bother to read the sign. After the small wait in line, we placed our gigantic orders. The server looked at us curiously when she saw our heaping requests, but to my relief, didn't make a fuss. We sat, and immediately dug in. The boy, Vesuvius, ate fastest. I wondered if he had eaten in Itex.

"Hey Vesuvius, pass the ketchup," I said, and he froze.

He slowly looked up, and glared at me. "That's not my name." Everyone looked up now, and Angel cocked her head, puzzled. I guessed she had already read his mind or something. "My name is Rook Paladin. To the whitecoats, I was Vesuvius. _Project _Vesuvius. How Angel knew, I have no idea."

We all looked at him for a bit and he picked up the ketchup and moved it closer to me. He looked around, noticing everyone staring at him.

"What?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing, _Rook."_

He glared again.

Another half hour and we were taking off. We flew back towards where we were taken from (Fang wanted his laptop) and I remembered something.

"Guys, if we're going to go to Itex headquarters, and blow it up or something, I want my chip out."

Everyone, minus Ve- Rook, stared at me, frightened. They hadn't forgotten the time I tried to get it out myself. Rook just looked at me, eyebrows raised. He didn't know I was chipped. "I want to go to Arizona, to see if Dr. Martinez can get it out." They all sighed, again with the exception of Rook. He just looked away before I explained.

After finding our old tent sodden but not damaged, we flew on further toward Arizona, and settled in another cave for the night. Tomorrow, my chip would be out (maybe), and soon, we would reach Itex headquarters.

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**Gah! This chapter was so hard to write, because I finally started reading the Twilight series! (I started and finished the first yesterday, then went to Barnes & Noble to read the first 100 pages in _New Moon,_ even though I didn't buy it. Oh well, I'll get it from the library. **

**Anyway, I had to get Fang's laptop back somehow, so that's the only reason that the tent was still in there. You know, JP never said how Fang got his laptop back. Oh, and I also made it so that Max tries to get her chip out, just because it didn't get removed before, considering this starts RIGHT BEFORE MR3, but has the events from MR3 anyway. It's not some filler thing in between the two books. It's like an alternate MR3, and possibly an MR4, or more, considering how long this gets. Right, I forgot, ter Borcht doesn't come into the story yet, because Rook rescued the flock before he arrived at the School. Technically, that's feasible. I would have made a funny ter Borcht scene but I didn't, because I didn't. I'm back from vacation, so I am off of this crappy Dial-up and back to quick and easy internet service via wireless. Woo!**

**P.S. A big THANK YOU to all my reviewers:**

**Jake Caldefore**

**Xxtawnyflyxx (Vacation?)**

**Amaya24 (you are still reading right?)**

**FicSquad (Technically not a CURRENT reviewer, but I did get a review, which is AWESOME!)**

**Katiexmariex101 (Thanks, glad you like it!)**

**That's all, isn't it? Man, I need more reviews (though so far, I'm flame-less! Again, Woo!)**

**P.P.S. Longest A/N I've ever wrote. Huh.**


	11. AN and sneak peek of Chapter 11

**I AM A TERRIBLE PERSON. SERIOUSLY. **

**I have been SO mean to all my readers, and I wanted to submit an author's note, but that would be even meaner. SO, I think I'm going to post this as a note, along with a preview for the next chapter, which I had written so far.**

**A lot o' stuff happened since I last updated, like me reading new series of books, which again brings up the point of me being a terrible person. TERRIBLE. I read Twilight, which I can't get out of my head, and started a new fanfiction for, which is again proof that I am a terrible person. That's the THIRD fanfiction I've started writing, people! And I haven't finished a single one! TERRIBLE PERSON. I've read other books, which I won't go into detail about, and the Midnighters series. I now have another fanfiction forming for that one, which will not get itself out of my head.**

**Last week I also broke my wrist (please do not ask, for the sake of my self-esteem), so that's been a trifle distracting, but I can type pretty well.**

**I am SO glad that the school year is finally ending, but I need to be focused for the next week and a half, which is all I have left (WOO!!).**

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**Yeah, sorry about all the delay, but a lot of things came up. I've been playing Maplestory, reading, and I got a Wii (PM me for my friend code). Anyways, here's a peek at the 11****th**** chapter, which will probably take ages to write. Oh, and sorry if my change-of-username confused anyone. I am the writer previously known as pkoholic. Now I am the Moogle Stump. Woo. So, on with the (preview of the) 11****th**** chapter! **

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I jolted awake, scanning the cave. Fang, Nudge, "Gasman", Iggy, Total, Angel… No Max. She must be on watch. Not inside the cave, though. I walked outside, and peered down off of a ledge. Max was sitting down in a very small clearing at the bottom of the cliff. I spread my wings, and quietly flew down. She gave a start when seeing me, then realized who I was and simply watched me fly down. Suddenly, her eyes widened, looking behind me. I felt my wings suddenly grabbed, and the tips slammed together, immobilizing me. Before I could even scream, I was hurtling toward the ground.

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I was on watch again, guarding against anything coming. Or _going_, I might add. A shadow flitted over me, and I looked up automatically. A dark shape was descending where I was sitting, on the forest floor beneath our newest cave hideout. I tensed, and realized it was the boy, Rook. He slowly approached, as if showing he was not trying to be a threat. Then, another dark form shot out of the opening in the cliff, heading straight toward him. I recognized a flash of strawberry-blond hair in the moonlight. Iggy. Iggy crashed into Rook mid-flight, savagely grabbing his wings and pushing them together, like I had done to a flying Eraser not long ago. I could see Rook's shocked face, and he spun toward the ground.

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**It's good to know the school year is ending, and I promise that once the school year is finally over I will gladly update ALL my stories! I AM SO SORRY ABOUT HOW MUCH OF A TERRIBLE PERSON I AM!!**


	12. Smokin' Reflexes

**First of all, this chapter is dedicated especially to Jake Caldefore for this idea, and my newest good friend, Maggie, or StephenieMeyerWannabe. Also, it's definitely dedicated to all my good reviewers, thanks everyone!**

**Little update on me: My cast comes off on Friday, June twentieth, which is tomorrow (okay, I'm up pretty late. It's Friday, technically, but I have to sleep first for it to be Friday for me.).**

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"AGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH-" _WHOOMPH_

Rook's sudden scream pierced through the air as he spun down to the ground. It was suddenly cut off at the end, with a sudden _whooshing_ sound. I ran over to the area he landed, just about 20 feet away from me, and gasped. All that was lying on the ground was a _pile of clothes_. I would have laughed, if it hadn't been for the current situation.

"Iggy, what the heck was that?!" I shouted up into the sky, where Iggy was descending from. "Where did Rook go?"

"Oh, I see him!" Iggy shouted with mock surprise, pointing in the general direction of the forest behind me.

"Oh, shut up. Seriously, help me find him."

I was sure Iggy was going to retort with something, or at least explain why he tried to kill Rook, when we were interrupted by a voice calling from the side of our little clearing. "Max?"

"Rook, where are you?"

"I'm behind this tree…"

"Are you hurt?" I asked, slightly concerned.

"No, I'm…" he answered in a somewhat confused voice, "…naked."

"You're what?!" Iggy and I both asked, surprised. That would explain the assorted clothes lying at my feet.

"I… don't know. Can you guys move, so I can, like, redress? It's kind of chilly in bad places."

I shuddered, grabbed Iggy, and towed him over behind some trees across from where Rook seemed to be hiding behind a thick trunk. I heard some scuffling, and Iggy grumbling about how he's blind anyway.

"Okay, I'm decent!" Rook called from the clearing, and I walked out from behind the foliage.

I raised my eyebrows. "So what's with the… umm… clothing?"

He jabbed a finger at Iggy, wide-eyed. "What's with the assault?"

"Iggy, you first, why did you take down Rook?" I asked, looking over at him.

He addressed Rook. "You woke me up. I thought you were trying to pull another escape."

Rook shrugged. "I don't blame you." He looked at me. "The whole clothes thing? I have no idea. I think I turned into smoke, but I'm usually able to take my clothes with me, no sweat. Maybe I did it on pure reflexes. Whatever it was, it sure whipped me out. I feel ready to go to sleep any minute." He wiped hi forehead with the back of his hand.

We started to take off, getting ready to get back to the cave, when I noticed something reflect some of the moonlight on the ground. "Hey, what's that?"

Rook bent over, and picked up the tiny object, then looked at me with fear in his eyes. I folded my wings back in, and walked over. "What is it?"

He looked at the small item in his palm. "It looks like a… chip."

I gasped, looking down at it, noticing he was right. It was a small, rectangular, metal chip, the size of my small fingernail. "Oh, my god, what does it say?" I asked, breathless, noticing the little symbols that looked like very small lettering.

"It says… a sequence of digits. I'll read them off… It says P-one-three-zero-six-six-zero-T-R-C." He said, his voice sounding more and more frightened as he read. He flipped it over carefully. On the back it says… Project Vesuvius."

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**I know this may be shorter than you'd like, but I'm just getting into the swing of things, since I haven't updated in so long. Well, like I said, I'm getting my cast off, so I'll be able to do more writing. I feel bad, because I feel like I've lost faithful reviewers! If any of you guys that have been reading my story are out there, please review! I need to know you're still alive! This means you!**

**P.S. Oh, and if you're a first-time reader, you can review too. I don't want you to feel left out. **

**P.P.S. I kind of wanted to make this chapter longer, but also wanted to end on that note. And I wanted to celebrate the removal of my cast tomorrow (today) by updating at least one of my stories! (The other stories are coming along too, don't you worry)**

**P.P.P.S. I found something really strange! Chapter 4 of The New Wings has exactly 666 words! BUM BUM BUM!!**

**NOW REVIEW!!**


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